In 2009 after receiving my DTM I was approached by school principal, Sister Colleen Marie Franciscan of Mary Mount High School (MMHS), St. Mary, Jamaica about a workshop for teens. The YLP workshop would be for Grade 10-11 students. MMHS is situated in the hills of St. Mary approximately 1.5 hours from the capital Kingston. This workshop would consist of approximately 16 hours and extend for 2 full days, this would be a compressed version of the normal YLP which goes for 8 weeks and for 2 hours per weekend. The YLP workshop was planned at the same time as my vacation and I dedicate 3 days from my vacation for the students. The students were very enthusiastic and volunteered quickly for YLP roles. I was amazed at how quickly some students progressed from hearing their 1st Table Topics, to hearing their final speech. I was also impressed with how quickly the students adapted to new situations and how creative they became during the Table Topic session.
Principal Nadine Malloy, Buff Bay High School, Portland, Jamaica, heard about the success of the YLP that was done at MMHS and asked if I could consider doing YLP for the students at her school. I agreed to do the YLP and completed it for over 30 students. Again, I was amazed at how adaptable and flexible the high school students were and the strong level of participation during the YLP. Many students stepped up to the plate and were willing to try the Toastmaster and Table Topic Master roles. During the workshop we were visited by a representative from the Ministry of Education. He was very appreciative and thanked me for volunteering time to help the students. Ms Malloy also thanked our club and myself for taking the time to help the students to aspire for a higher level of skills in communication & leadership.